Wizard of Oz - Day 1: "Melbs"
Erik Skye Travel Blog
26 Dec 2011
Here’s the map: Google Maps – Wizard of Oz
I was running off jet lag through the streets of Melbourne (or "Melbs", which is what Kelsey says "all the cool kids call it'). A big smile and much joy came to me as I heard the familiar ‘crying baby in the trees’ for the first time this trip. If you don’t remember from my descriptions last year, the crows here sound like crying babies, and I think its endearing (iconic Australian even).
Adelaide greeted me with an embrace and warm kiss on the cheek, which assured my safe travels through Oz. “…I will give you my kiss, and no one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North.”^6 “She came close to Dorothy and kissed her gently…”^6
Adie (Adelaide) lives just east of Melbourne, and we spent the afternoon driving further east, to the Maroondah Dam, Yarra Mountains, vineyards, and a great winery that doubled as a restaurant. I chose to sample their micro brews (beer, not wine!), and we shared a nice pumpkin-topped oven-fired pizza. They served us bread 
and olive oil, which is not unusual to me. But there were a few nice twists, such as very strong olive oil served by single-serving bowl, which you poured or dipped from (instead of by bottle, which is how I’ve always seen olive oil served) and locally-made rock salt (to combine with the olive oil), also provided by a single-serving bowl that you pinched flakes from. Adie was convinced the salt was pink though I wasn’t sure.
As I looked around the architecturally-modern, trendy establishment, I remarked at how un-typically Australian the setting was. An elderly man next to me was eating a dish of petite raw salmon strips topped with light sauces and delicate greens, all served on a flat piece of slate. This is not what I have in mind I think of Australian fare! But herein lies the point – Australia is not typical and is changing. It’s very multi-cultural with beautiful influences from most cultures of the world. Adie said ‘all are welcome here, but they have to bring their cuisine with them’.
Adie says they get four seasons – often all in one day. That’s how drastically the temperatures can change. She says the prevailing winds are from the west, and typically you just look at what’s happening in Perth for what you will get here in Melbourne a couple days later. But often weather patterns pull hot interior air south or frigid Antarctic air north over Melbourne in repeating cycles.
I’ve been cold here so far, wearing my wool sweater just as I had during much of my time in France. Maybe I’m a wimp, or maybe too skinny. But this is Australia in the summer after all, and I don’t think its too unreasonable to expect a bit of overheating. I’ll get my chance I’m sure, and when I do I’m going to soak it deep into the bone.
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Footnotes:
6. L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz (The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1903) p. 16.
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